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Enemies
Overview & Notes The source file for all the data below is DARKLAND.ENM. Every hostile creature comes from a template defined in this file. The human foes have a screen name based on the encounter context, such as "Castle Guard," but castle guards could vary in strength from any one of the five Sergeant* templates from which this kind of enemy is rolled. For every template, the combat attributes, End, Str, and Agl, are uniquely-defined. Its melee weapon skills, WEdg, WImp, WFll, and WPol, are set to one (same) value, and the ranged skills WBow, WThr, and WMsD are set to another value. Stats not relevant to combat are all trivially set to 20. *Human opponents' bare essentials— Armor Thickness and Weapon Penetration— are readily surmised by bringing up the enemy info (E''' key) in battle and looking at what armor and weapons they are carrying. *Non-humans usually have "natural armor" and "natural weapons" that get rated in the '''Basic and Normal difficulty settings when looking at the enemy info, but are otherwise impossible to tell. *Party members' ranged skills impose a limitation on whether they have a clear shot at the enemy through stuff encroaching on the line-of-sight line. Some foes have supernatural abilities technically reliant on WThr, but these always hit, and it is not apparent that their line of sight (nor that of enemy archers) is subject to the same skill-imposed limitation as party members. Humans Sergeants ;Instances: Castle Guard, Sergeant, Huntsman, Archer These regulars wield a variety of heavy melee weapons, and they can also draw bows. Be careful of longbowmen in particular, since this weapon's Penetration matches plate. Bowmen frequently move around on the battlefield in an attempt to get a bead on a party member. A high-penetration weapon swap may be a good idea against the stronger types of sergeants. Sergeants may be found leading weaker bandit parties overland and city guard detachments intown; Archers are in a difficult ambush encounter, and Castle Guards are obviously stationed in castles (but not Raubritters' castles). Guards ;Instances: Guard, Schulz These templates are guardsmen of low or no formal rank, all carrying swords. The lowest grades seem to be genuinely decrepit people. The highest ones have good-quality gear. Encountering Guards is uncommon unless the party makes a point of attacking city watchmen, and winning those encounters erodes the party's legal standing. There is an instance of Guards encountered overland in the party of a hostile Alchemist, and these ones' equipment will have chemically-enhanced Thickness and Penetration values. The Schulz in some hamlets may be confronted in the course of the main quest. Bandits ;Instances: Bandit, Pirate, Brigand, Follower, Villager These represent hoodlums with no military training, and are found in easy city, overland, and boat encounters, and in the main quest as Followers and deranged Villagers. Brigands are the bottom-rung thralls of a Raubritter. Groups outside cities may be led by a markedly stronger individual, such as a Brigand Sgt, or even a Robber Capt. Since these three types have no shields, they have a small penalty avoiding blows in melee and at range. Also, a weapon with 2 Penetration will deal full damage to them, and wearing armor with 4 Thickness will normally prevent them from doing any significant damage to a party member. The game will favor the full leather-clad Bandit3 as the party gets more powerful, but these encounters will remain an easy source of weapons training and spare change. Mercenaries ;Instances: Mercenary, Brigand Sgt, Henchman These mercenary templates vary a great deal in strength. The first type is a pushover. A large group of the fifth type, with its high skill, endurance, metal armor, shield, and a powerful captain, is a force to be reckoned with. Enemy info (E''' key) will reveal exactly which type is on the battlefield, because each one's armor is different. Long employment gaps for Mercenaries in the Empire are apparently the reason why the "mercenary-turned-bandit" encounters happen with such tiresome regularity. The Brigand Sgts are found in Raubritter castle assaults. Captains ;Instances: Robber Capt, Zealot A Robber Capt is a lightly-armored but extremely proficient swordsman conforming to any one of the three types above, found leading random bandit parties overland. Their skill ratings give them very favorable block and strike rates until they are surrounded. The size of the shield reveals which type was rolled. The Zealots are a big gang of GrayExPC3 guarding the Demon Prince of the Fortress Monastery. Their swords and armor are enchanted. If the party is unable to bottleneck them, the encounter could be catastrophic. Alchemists ;Instances: Alchemist, Kobold King Predictably, Alchemists will attempt to hurl potions at the party. EvilAlch1 has random 25q formulas, and EvilAlch2 knows 35q formulas. Potions cannot be identified mid-air, and there is a chance the ordnance is something that will permanently damage a character's armor (Eater Water, Thunderbolt, or Arabian Fire) unless he de-equips it. Alchemists will not normally move around to get a better line of sight on the party. If they stay put for long enough without throwing a potion, they will visibly brandish their dagger, and from this moment will no longer attempt to throw anything, making the encounter much less tricky. The Kobold King is no kobold at all, but some lunatic inciting the kobolds against the dwarves in one of the Mine crisis scenarios. Other hostile Alchemists, always of the first type, can be encountered overland. The EvilAlch2 type is a notorious battle against four alchemists at once in an obstruction-free arena inside Baphomet's Citadel. Bringing a full shutdown like Sunburst can help. High Witches ;Instances: High Witch, Acolyte A High Witch engages the party in back-to-back battles at the end of a Witch Sabbat, and throws spells (which are functionally potions) at the party with his staff. His combat behavior pattern is the same as the Alchemist. Shooting him down to halt the stream of spells is made difficult by the numerous Cultists charging towards the party. An Acolyte of this kind is found in the templars' monastery. Monks ;Instances:Monk, Leader, Evil Monk, Friar Hostile monks are found in isolated situations during the main quest. The second and third types can throw 25q Sunburst in battle. They also bestow enchantments on their quarterstaves or their allies' weapons; the active effects appear to be increased penetration and quality. Knights ;Instances: Castle Lord, Knight, Evil Knight, Raubritter These are nobles with heavy armor and two-handers, surrounded by retainers. Their encounter contexts are generally difficult. Raubritters can be rolled either from these types or from the TinKnight* types described next. Raubritters command either bandits or mercenary-types, and Castle Lords will always be accompanied by sergeant-type Castle Guards. The Evil Knight appears to be a unique individual residing in the Fortress Monastery, commanding acolytes. A battle with several Knights at once, plus Guards, may happen in a couple specific overland encounters. Tin Knights ;Instances: Captain, Raubritter, Dark Knight While similar to the Knights, the TinKnight types possess full plate and shields, augmenting their defense. Ideally, the party should use either Great Hammers or the slow, vulnerable spot attack mode ('''V key) on them. It goes without saying that these are hard enemies. Captains lead some random bandit groups when the party is powerful. Raubritters are sometimes these instead of a Knight. The Dark Knights are a group of four TinKnight2 in the Fortress Monastery. Their armor and weapons are enchanted; the party should do likewise to their gear and be ready to blow through healing potions. Blond Witch ;Instances: Witch If the party makes a habit of traveling through forest tiles overland, an encounter with a Witch in her "modest sod hut" might set the main quest in motion. She will have Wolf familiars with her. Her potion selection is large and can harm both health and armor, potentially. As a potioneer, her combat behavior is the same as the Alchemist, above. Templars ;Instances: Templar, Preceptor The Templars are a monastic order that has been bent to devil worship. Its members are veteran knights. The first two types listed are the Fortress Monastery garrison, and will usually be operating in units of five or more individuals. Holding their groups off at doorways and corridors is a good idea. The Templar2 sometimes lobs a Noxious Aroma at the party, but is by no means always or even mainly a potioneer. The third type, the order's Preceptor, is the strongest human NPC. Fortunately, the party has the advantage of finding him alone. Unfortunately, the high quality of his gear comes mainly from enchantments. Witch Cultist ;Instances: Cultist, Acolyte Cultists may turn hostile on various occasions during a Witch Sabat. They are not soldiers, but they are focused and numerous. Considering the size of the battles they are involved in, it's worth emphasizing from the data above that their armor Thickness rating is only 0 to 2, and their weapons' Penetration is 4. Category:World Information